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Color change


Atreies

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Could someone please change the color of the 3 chrome pieces on the front of this vehicle? Not the long strip just under the hood but the 3 thicker pieces just below that. I'm attaching a photo of a mustang to use as a color sample but feel free to find a better source if its easier. Color I'm trying to test is Ford paint code UJ, sterling grey. Open to other colors to test as well if you are feeling creative and want to show something you like as long they are are colors from actual paint codes so the body shop can accurately mix that color. Thank you very much.51094066.jpgedge color 4.jpguj color source.jpg
 

Tom Mann

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Unfortunately, there is a problem with requests to change a color to some other well specified and characterized color (eg, a car factory paint code).

The problem is that the color the camera records in a photo of an object reflects (pun intended) not only its own color, but the color of the light that is illuminating it, as well as the brightness / darkness of the exposure used, and the specific color response curves for the camera's sensor, the camera's automatic white balance algorithm, the slight color cast that every lens imparts, etc. etc.

To give a specific example, suppose we took a photo of a perfectly neutral gray (128, 128, 128) when the sun was behind a cloud, and then a moment later, we take another picture after the sun emerged from behind the cloud. In the first photo, no matter how good the camera's white balance system is, the camera will almost certainly record the gray as having a bluish-cyan tint, say (128, 140, 140), whereas in the second, the camera will almost certainly record the gray as being warmer or more yellowish, say, (140, 140, 128).

In addition to changes in the color, the brightness of the gray will certainly also be different between the two shots depending on the details and settings of the camera's auto exposure system and how much of the background is included in the photos besides the main area of interest. These effects are not small, especially if you are not only changing the illumination between the two photos, but changing the camera, as well.

So, this means that if someone (i.e., you, LOL) asks me to make part of an arbitrary, non-color managed photo look like it was painted in the same (128,128,128) neutral gray discussed above, if I use the color you ask for it won't be correct (either in hue & saturation, or in brightness) for most photos.

The way this problem is minimized by pro photographers is to always include a color reference chart in every photo for which accurate colors are required and then making all these color come out correctly in both photos. One of the best known of these is the Macbeth color reference chart:

image.jpeg
... but others are now being sold by companies such as X-rite know primarily for monitor calibration systems.

The above is a long way of saying that I don't touch such requests for accurate standardized colors in photos because I know I am almost guaranteed to be wrong unless appropriate care in color management has been given to the photos under question (eg, a calibration target included in both images, the two camera's have both been profiled and calibrated, etc. etc.).

That being said, some simplified compromise approaches are possible (eg, using only a gray card, not a multi-color reference card or using only white balance and paying no attention to the colors of the mid-grays and shadow areas), but they are rarely as accurate as handling color management correctly from start to finish.

Sorry I can't be more encouraging. You made a very reasonable request, but to truly match product colors requires considerable specialized knowledge and skills. This is one reason why competent professional commercial product photographers can command such high fees.

Tom M
 
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Atreies

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That is a fantasticly detailed explanation of the difficulties of color matching across platforms. I was aware of the idea in much simpler terms but definitely learned something.
Let me clarify what I'm looking for though. Any color that I choose to paint it must be from a paint code so that the body shop can accurately mix it, but what I'm looking for here does not need to reflect that color exactly. I just need a reasonable approximation for my eye to see if I like it. I reference the paint code just in case some other color than I supplied was applied and I liked it I would need to be able tell the shop what to use. Anything applied to the picture would at least show me if I would hate it. In my minds eye I already believe it would look good but some of the worst designs are created that way lol. I looked up some tutorials on doing this with car photos and the examples shown were exactly what I'd like done but went far beyond my time allowances to learn the techniques.
 

Tom Mann

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Glad u found the explanation useful.

I understood what you are trying to do, and appreciate your comment that the change "does not need to reflect the color accurately". The problem is that the two grays are so close that unless the color management issues are taken into account, I feel that you could easily be misled if this is not done. Later, when I have a moment, I'll put together a little demo that compares the different results you would get with and without doing some color and tonal corrections to both photos.

Tom M
 

Tom Mann

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PS - Unfortunately, I'm really short on time at the moment, so to help me put together some results for you, can you please:

a) Give me the paint code for the vehicle in the 1st photo; and,

b) Look up for me the numerical values of the paint codes for both vehicles. The numbers can be in RGB, CMYK, Lab, HSL, or HSV forms. Any of these forms (for both before and after re-coloring) will be fine.

I will wait for your response before I start.

Thanks,

Tom M
 

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